Jesus and the Philosophy of Living
Presented at Urantia Foundation, August 21, 2016
Slightly revised
I am grateful for the privilege of addressing you on this festive occasion.
My title is “Jesus and the philosophy of living.” In what follows, we have a minute of monologue, followed by a roughly ten-minute dialogue, then a couple minutes for silent communion, and finally time for discussion. The goal of this many-faceted presentation is to experience enlightening intellectual communion as we transplant intellectual inquiry about the philosophy of living into the garden of a spiritual celebration of Jesus.
In his late teens, Jesus became a prominent member of a young men’s club for philosophic discussion.
In his early twenties, Jesus was strongly tempted to accept the offer from a Damascus businessman that he should head up a new school of religious philosophy.
In his late twenties, on his tour of the Mediterranean world, many of Jesus’ discourses were philosophic in nature.
Jesus’ discourse at the ordination of the twelve is said to constitute “a master philosophy of life” (140:4.9/1572).
Prior to his bestowal, Immanuel had encouraged Jesus’ efforts “to leave behind . . . an enduring and improved system of positive religious ethics” [120:3.5/1329]; and a such a system seems to be outlined in Jesus’ teaching about the rule of living, where he presents the six levels of interpretation of the golden rule of treating others as we would be treated (147:4/1650-51).
Truly it is said, “Jesus brought the philosophy of religion from heaven down to earth” (159:5.17/1771.1).
Speaking of down to earth, it’s time for our dialogue. Joanne and I will now present a dialogue in which I have made bold to write the part of Jesus, which she will kindly read.
JHW: Jesus, when the great philosopher Rodan came wanting to speak with you, why did you decline to visit with him?
JS: I did not converse with Rodan in order to keep my gospel message clear in its spiritual nature. I did not want my gospel to become linked to even a magnificent Greek philosophy.
JHW: Then why did you ask Nathaniel and Thomas to listen to Rodan?
JS: Because Nathaniel and Thomas had the need and the capacity to learn important things from Rodan. I wanted them to have the time to learn, time to allow them to receive seeds which could sprout into wiser living and teaching.
JHW: Why did you not have the other apostles listen to Rodan?
JS: The others would have profited little and might have become confused. The gospel movement was not directed to an elite. Remember the level of education possessed by the twelve and by the common people who heard us. It was important to keep the gospel movement separate from the religion of the mind, the religion of civilization, and from a religion which only an elite can grasp.
JHW: As I think about the relationship between the philosophy of living and the gospel movement, I’m struck by one thing that Rodan said to Nathaniel and Thomas: “The philosophy which I teach, linked with the gospel which you preach, represents the new religion of maturity, the ideal of all future generations.” [160:1/1775.1] I sometimes think that Rodan’s conviction was premature. Anyone who knows Greek philosophy and other wisdom traditions of the ancient world can see that Rodan’s philosophy was, for all its greatness, Greek philosophy. It had not integrated wisdom from men and women representing diverse perspectives. And we know what happened when Christianity came forward, not with the simple spiritual gospel, but adding a truckload of civilizational baggage.
195:0.3 (2069.3) Christianity presumed to embrace too much for any one people to assimilate in one or two generations. It was not a simple spiritual appeal, such as Jesus had presented to the souls of men; it early struck a decided attitude on religious rituals, education, magic, medicine, art, literature, law, government, morals, sex regulation, polygamy, and, in limited degree, even slavery. Christianity came not merely as a new religion — something all the Roman Empire and all the Orient were waiting for — but as a new order of human society. And as such a pretension it quickly precipitated the social-moral clash of the ages.
Sometimes I think about this sad lesson of history when I contemplate the way that some readers of The Urantia Book proclaim the book as though it were part of the gospel.
But now a new question arises for me. Is not Rodan’s idea of combining the gospel with a philosophy of living similar to what the Divine Counselor proposes at the end of the Paper Two? The call goes forth for “farseeing and forward-looking of men and women of spiritual insight who will dare to construct a new and appealing new philosophy of living out of the enlarged and exquisitely integrated modern concepts of cosmic truth, universe beauty, and divine goodness.” Modern religion would rehabilitate itself by giving “equal consideration to the truths of science, philosophy, and spiritual experience, the beauties of the physical creation, the charm of intellectual art,” religion’s moral mandates, “and the grandeur of genuine character achievement.”
JS: You are on to something there, Jeff. Remember one thing I told the apostles when we were fleeing through northern Galilee. I explained why they had been ineffective with the Jews and ineffective with the Greeks. I told them that many Jews were one-sidedly religious without the balance of the scientific attitude, while many Greeks had science without religion. I told these Jews to coordinate science with their religion in their way of living. And I said,
155:1.5 (1726.2) “Let me emphatically state this eternal truth: If you, by truth co-ordination, learn to exemplify in your lives this beautiful wholeness of righteousness, your fellow men will then seek after you that they may gain what you have so acquired.”
In order to coordinate science and religion, you do need a little philosophy. And in order to get from living the truth to the beautiful wholeness of righteousness it helps to have expanded and integrated concepts of truth, beauty, and goodness.
JHW: Thank you. I have just one more question. Every one of your followers is exhorted to pray sincerely for the extension of the kingdom of heaven, and to spread your many-sided gospel of the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. How should we integrate the philosophy of living properly with our spiritual work in the gospel movement?
JS: First, recognize the primacy of the spiritual and its interdependence with the themes of the new philosophy of living.
196:3.28 (2096.4) Religion stands above science, art, philosophy, ethics, and morals, but not independent of them. They are all indissolubly interrelated in human experience, personal and social.
Second, recall a discourse I gave to 50 trusted leaders. I reminded them of their number one priority; and I also explained the place of their complementary activities.
178:1.11 (1931.2) Remember that you are commissioned to preach this gospel of the kingdom — the supreme desire to do the Father’s will coupled with the supreme joy of the faith realization of sonship with God — and you must not allow anything to divert your devotion to this one duty. Let all mankind benefit from the overflow of your loving spiritual ministry, enlightening intellectual communion, and uplifting social service; but none of these humanitarian labors, nor all of them, should be permitted to take the place of proclaiming the gospel.
JHW: I am very grateful for the path of integration that you have clarified. We can season our gospel message with references to science and the arts, for example, without overteaching, without bringing in things that could upstage the gospel.
Finally, Jesus, as we exit this skit and shift gears into communion, this we turn to you as little children, happy children, grateful children, to celebrate you on your birthday. We reflect that a philosophy of living can help us in an industrious prayer process as we seek divine wisdom to solve the specific human problems encountered in the Paradise ascension—the attainment of divine perfection. But the fulfillment of our quest for wisdom is the answer to prayer that comes from you. You are the one who give us—fresh, direct, and divine—an increased revelation of truth, an enhanced appreciation of beauty, and an augmented concept of goodness.
Let us now take a couple minutes to ponder your wisdom, to give you thanks, and to commune with your outpoured Spirit of Truth, which is also the spirit of idealistic beauty.